Antimicrobial Resistance: World leaders target 10% death reduction by 2030

WHO projected that AMR will cause 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years, equivalent to over three deaths every minute.

World leaders have committed to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), setting a target of reducing deaths by 10 per cent by 2030.

This 2030 goal was set at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, where countries agreed to tackle the growing threat of AMR.

The 15-page political declaration obtained by PREMIUM TIMES was approved Friday and signed by 193 member states to scale up action to address the looming threat that AMR poses to global health, food security and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to the medicines used to treat infections, making these medicines ineffective.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMR is the third leading cause of mortality in the world, with over one million deaths directly linked to bacterial AMR, and five million deaths indirectly.

WHO projected that AMR will cause 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years, equivalent to over three deaths every minute.

Key commitments to 2030 goal

In the political declaration, the member states committed to strengthening governance mechanisms for the response to AMR, using a One Health approach, which involves addressing AMR in human, animal and plant health.

They committed to increasing sustainable investments at national, regional and global levels to strengthen national capacities for the AMR response.

The document also stated that they will ensure equitable and timely access to antimicrobials, vaccines and diagnostics in developing countries, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

They committed to strengthening national infection prevention and control programmes in health-care facilities, and to promote innovative financing mechanisms for multisectoral health research and development.

Among other commitments, the declaration recognises the leading roles of the WHO, United Nations Environment Programme, World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, as the Quadripartite organisations, and the work of the standing Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR.

Reacting to the development on his LinkedIn account, WHO’s Director General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said: “The irony of AMR is that it’s fuelled by the overuse of antibiotics yet more people die from lack of access to antibiotics.

“World Health Organization welcomes the target set by countries to reduce annual global deaths associated with bacterial AMR by 10 per cent by 2030.

“Together, we can protect these powerful medicines and the people whose lives depend on them, now and in the future.”

Nigeria’s efforts

Speaking Monday at a side event on AMR at the UNGA79, organised by the Management Science for Health (MSH), the NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris, warned that AMR threatens the food system and national health security.

Mr Idris said AMR is part of Nigeria’s broader health sector reforms.

He said: “Our four-point agenda reflects this commitment we’re investing in modernising healthcare facilities to enhance AMR surveillance and treatment capabilities, improving diagnostics and integrating data systems for better tracking of resistance patterns.

“Enhancing laboratory capacity for surveillance is one of the cornerstones of an effective AMR response because surveillance is critical for understanding the spread of antimicrobial resistance and informing evidenced based policies.”

He added that through the NCDC, Nigeria has made significant strides in improving diagnostic laboratory networks across the country to enhance the ability to track and monitor AMR, and also improve early detection of outbreaks.